The present invention relates to a filter life timer. In particular, the present invention relates to a filter life timer that initiates a cycle time upon insertion of the filter into a housing.
Air handling systems, such as air furnaces, air conditioning systems, and room air purifiers, typically include filters to take the dust and other particulate matter out of the air. When these filters become dirty the air flow through the filter is reduced. The filters therefore must be periodically changed to maintain the efficiency of the air handling system. A typical recommendation is to change a filter on a household air handling system every three months. It is often difficult for users to remember to change the filter so various methods have been developed to remind a user to change the filter.
Some filter systems include a reminder system indicating the end of the useful life of the filter. The most common type of reminder system is a timer having a switch that the user must manually actuate when a filter is changed. Various timer systems exist. Some timers have a simple switch for the user to actuate to start the timer. However, a drawback to such a system is that a user may accidentally reset the timer, which reinitiates the count. Therefore, the timer becomes ineffective for assisting in determining the proper end of the useful life of the filter. To address the problem of inadvertently resetting the timer, some systems have the timer switch recessed in a small hole. The switch is then actuated by a small thin object, like a paper clip or other specially designed tool. However, use of a separate tool is inconvenient and, therefore, the users often forget or do not reset the timer.
Instead of actuating a timer switch, another system used is to include a paper sticker attached to the filter for the user to note the date to change the filter. However, there is no reminder to the user unless the user inspects the filter and the date on the sticker. Alternatively, some systems include a dial that the user sets to count down to the filter change. As with other timer systems, the user must remember to set the dial and not inadvertently reset the dial during the countdown.
Therefore, a problem exists in timer systems for determining the end of the useful life of a filter. There is a need for an easy to use timer for determining the end of the useful life of a filter that does not require separate manual actuation by the user to initiate the time cycle.